Recent News

April 12, 2007 Two Researchers Work to Unravel Mysteries of the Aging BrainAmericans are living longer thanks to advances in treating major diseases, but the new longevity exposes them to a greater threat to the aging brain’s vulnerability to degenerative disorders. Two Northwestern University researchers working to unravel the mysteries of neurodegenerative disorders and their[…]

April 30, 2007 Helen Binns Tackles Lead Poisoning in Children Pediatrician Dr. Helen Binns (left) and attorney Anita Weinberg have served together on the Illinois Lead-Safe Housing Task Force for a decade. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), Illinois leads the nation in the number of lead-poisoned children, a fact that[…]

Chinatown Residents Flock to Student-Run Health Fair First-year medical student Isaac Wu greets Yung An Yu, one of 264 participants in the annual student-run Chinatown Health Fair. At 7:45 a.m. on Sunday, April 15, a long line snaked its way along the front of the Chinese Consolidated Benevolent Association in Chicago’s Chinatown. Residents patiently stood[…]

April 24, 2007 Depression May Cause Diabetes in Older Adults Contact: Marla Paul at (312) 503-8928 or atmarla-paul@northwestern.edu CHICAGO—Chronic depression or depression that worsens over time may cause diabetes in older adults, according to new Northwestern University research. This is the first national study to suggest that depression alone—and not lifestyle factors sich as being[…]

April 2, 2007 Contact: Marla Paul at (312) 503-8928 or atmarla-paul@northwestern.edu Disabled People Hit Huge Roadblocks in Routine Health Care CHICAGO—Rachel steered her wheelchair into a Chicago-area medical center for a series of upper gastrointestinal tract tests. But when Rachel, who has cerebral palsy, entered the radiology lab, the technician told her she had to[…]

Silent Auction Proceeds Benefit Student Groups Among the 100 medical students helping to make the 2007 Silent Auction Fundraiser a success are (from left) Martin Pham, Arjun Venkatesh, Meghan O’Halloran, and Nafis Ahmed. On April 12 approximately 300 members of the Feinberg School community enjoyed hors d’oeuvres, live classical music, and elegant Indian Garba dancing[…]

Trying to Bring Evidence-Based Practice to Behavioral Medicine How do behavioral scientists and practitioners incorporate the latest evidence-based interventions in their field into clinical practice and share them with other disciplines? Not easily, according to Bonnie J. Spring, PhD, professor of preventive medicine. Unlike the infrastructure that has evolved in evidence-based medicine to promote the[…]

April 12, 2007 Contact: Marla Paul at (312) 503-8928 or atmarla-paul@northwestern.edu Stem Cell Transplant Resets Immune System in Type 1 Diabetes Patients CHICAGO—A Northwestern University researcher has used adult stem cell injections to reset the immune systems of patients with early-onset Type 1 diabetes. After the therapy, patients were free of taking insulin for up[…]

New Northwestern Center Targets Epilepsy Six hundred students danced for CURE and not necessarily to The Cure, an English post-punk band, during Northwestern’s 30-hour Dance Marathon 2007 held in early March. Their around-the-clock efforts resulted in a donation of $423,028 to the Chicago-based Citizens United for Research in Epilepsy and a boost in awareness about[…]

Northwestern Medical Students Among Those Aiding the Homeless Medical students from three schools joined forces to provide health care to the homeless at a shelter on Chicago’s West Side. The homeless generally have two daily priorities: food and shelter. On March 3 students from three regional medical schools including Northwestern made sure that health care[…]

Match Day Reveals Residency Choices Dressed for the role, including “doc” tattoos, these FeinbergSchool seniors are ready to start their residencies inorthopaedic surgery. This year, 160 Feinberg School students joined more than 15,000 medical students nationwide vying for first-year residency positions in the United States offered through the National Resident Matching Program (NRMP). “I’m going[…]

March 13, 2007 Contact: Wendy Leopold at 847/491-4890 or atw-leopold@northwestern.edu Research Finds Musical Training Can ‘Tune’ the Auditory System EVANSTON, Ill.—A new study by Northwestern University researchers suggests that Mom was right when she insisted that you continue music lessons—even after it was clear that a professional music career was not in your future. The[…]

Alum Addresses Health Disparities Among Native Americans Patrick O’Connor, MD, ’82, likened the Indian reservation on which he has worked for more than 20 years to a Third World country in terms of health disparities but one that is being treated medically with first-world resources thanks to the U.S. Public Health Service. His lecture to[…]

March 12, 2007 Contact: Marla Paul at (312) 503-8928 or atmarla-paul@northwestern.edu $15M Grant Will Fund Study of Pacemaker/Beta Blocker Effect on Heart Patients CHICAGO—An estimated 100,000 patients who have heart attacks each year are not eligible for life-saving beta-blocker drug therapy because their heart rates are too low. Beta-blockers improve survival rates up to 30[…]

In Memoriam (Fred Gonzales) Frederico “Fred” Gonzales, PhD, associate professor emeritus of cell and molecular biology, died February 8 in Evanston, Illinois. He was 85. A native of San Antonio, Texas, he was an Army bomber pilot and survived being shot down during World War II. He then returned to college and earned a PhD[…]

Surgeon Makes Mark as Glass Artist Dr. Steve Immerman’s kilnformed glass pieces include Solar Meridian (top) and Eleuthra. When it comes to artistry in glass, few names are as well recognized as that of Dale Chihuly, whose colorful, fluid pieces have graced venues from the White House to the waterways of Venice. So when surgeon[…]

Rain Forest Clinic Provides Much Needed Care Daniels Hamant and Humberto Parra may have lived a world apart, but they inspired in their children a common cause—providing medical care to rural Bolivian villagers who would otherwise do without. Centro Medico Humberto Parra, a clinic located in south central Bolivia, bears the name of the father[…]

February 12, 2007 Contact: Wendy Leopold at 847/491-4890 or atw-leopold@northwestern.edu Children Who Sleep Less More Likely to Weigh More EVANSTON, Ill.—Research indicates that getting inadequate sleep has negative effects on children’s social and emotional well-being and school performance. Now a Northwestern University study finds it also increases their risk of being overweight. The study—conducted in[…]

In Memoriam (Aquiles Sobrero) Aquiles J. Sobrero, MD, professor emeritus of obstetrics and gynecology, died January 23 in Chicago, at age 85. Dr. Sobrero completed his MD degree at Universidad del Nacional del Litoral in Rosario, Argentina, followed by postgraduate training in that city. He had served as director of the Margaret Sanger Research Bureau[…]